The crash involving Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in the Italian Grand Prix sparked a major debate among millions. Although the crash occurred at low speeds in Turn 1, the damage caused was substantial, with the Dutchman’s car landing on top of the Briton’s.
While some ascertained blame on Verstappen for not backing off, others blamed Hamilton for not giving the former enough space. However, Williams CEO Jost Capito believes neither driver should be blamed for the incident in Monza.
Jost Capito believes neither Lewis Hamilton nor Max Verstappen are at fault
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Williams are enjoying one of their most successful seasons this year. Although they stand eighth in the constructors’ championship, George Russell and Nicholas Latifi have scored points in the last few races. These results depict the resurgence of the British team under the leadership of Capito, who joined last season.
While Russell scored points in Monza, Verstappen and Hamilton’s crash took center stage in the post-race discussions. In a recent interview, Capito believed it’s not right to blame either driver without any clarity.
He said, “I don’t think it’s absolutely right to look for someone to blame, especially when it’s not clear. And it wasn’t clear here. So you should say, okay, they’re racing drivers, so let them drive too.” (Translated via Google Translate)
The German also spoke about the three-place grid penalty Verstappen received for the incident. “That’s the salt in the soup, isn’t it? It’s racing,” said Capito. “Things like that have happened in the past. Whenever you had such a close battle for the title, there was something like that during a season.”
READ MORE: Why Does Lewis Hamilton Drive with #44 on his Car?
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Can Red Bull halt Mercedes’ Russian GP dominance?
Since the Russian Grand Prix made its debut in 2014, Mercedes are the only team to win the race. Hamilton has four race wins on this track, and Valtteri Bottas has two.
Despite their track record, they look likely to face a much stiffer challenge from Red Bull this year. With a more complete package, Verstappen could be the man to end their dominant run on this track. However, a three-place grid penalty could hurt his chances in Sochi.
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